


Strange Bedfellows

by imaginary_golux



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: First Contact, Fluff, Gen, Mission Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:28:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29328543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginary_golux/pseuds/imaginary_golux
Summary: Rey, Finn, and Poe encounter a very strange creature during a mission for the General.
Relationships: Poe Dameron & Finn & Rey
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2021: Apocalypse No





	Strange Bedfellows

Rey peers around the corner warily, staff gripped tightly in her hand. Behind her, Poe and Finn have their blasters out, and are keeping a close eye out for anything sneaking up behind them.

The signal _definitely_ came from this cave system, but Rey hasn’t seen any sign of anything she would consider a friendly contact yet. The tunnels are large - far larger than anything humanoid would have made - and there’s an odd slickness to the walls that Rey is queasily worried comes from something slimy rubbing against them. She’s trying not to brush against it. At least it doesn’t _smell_ too bad - there’s a sort of earthy smell, which makes sense, given that they’re underground, and a faint sort of...bitter scent? It’s not _bad_ , it’s just a little nose-wrinkly.

She eases around the corner, and is about to hiss a summons back to her companions when Finn says, quiet and shaky, “Rey? We’ve got company.”

Rey whirls and finds that Poe and Finn are crammed against a wall, watching a... _thing_ approach.

It looks a hell of a lot like a rathtar. Rey swallows hard. Fuck, she never wanted to meet a rathtar again - are two blasters and a saberstaff going to be _enough?_ \- kriff, it’s blocking their way back to the ship - if it charges she’s not sure which way to dodge -

It pauses, and sort of hunkers down, tucking all but one of its tentacles under it. That one stretches out until the tip is about six feet away, and...wiggles?

Rey eyes it warily. It wiggles again.

“Uh,” Finn says, and steps up beside her, lowering his blaster a little. He holds out his free hand and wiggles his fingers.

The rathtar tentacle wiggles more enthusiastically.

Finn makes a soft thoughtful noise, and wags his hand back and forth twice. The tentacle mimics him perfectly. Slowly, he curls his hand into a fist; the tentacle coils back on itself to form a ball. He opens his hand; the tentacle uncoils.

“Finn?” Poe asks quietly, edging forward. “Are you _talking_ to it?”

“I mean, at this point I think we’ve mostly established ‘hello’,” Finn says. “Rey? Want to try with the Force?”

“Uh,” Rey says. “If it eats me, I’m going to _haunt_ you.”

“Please don’t get yourself eaten,” Poe says. Rey grimaces and steps forward, staff in one hand, and reaches out to touch the very tip of the tentacle. It curls itself politely around her hand, not too tightly - she could pull away if she wanted to. Poe and Finn rest their hands on her shoulders, ready to yank her back if anything goes wrong.

Reaching out in the Force doesn’t really feel like talking, but Rey isn’t sure how else to describe it. _Hello?_ she sends hopefully.

_Hello!_ comes the eager response. _Friend! Hello, friend!_

“Well,” she says, knowing her voice is a little shaky, “it’s definitely friendly.”

The next time the General sends them out to investigate a possible ally, Rey resolves, she’s going to ask a _lot_ more questions before they leave.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the FFC prompt "Alien," and beta'd by my absolutely wonderful Best Beloved, Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw.


End file.
